Adorable Burden
by Demon Child Leelian
Summary: What happens when Batman finds a little girl? The Commissioner asks Bruce Wayne to take her in of course. So how does Bruce adjust to becoming a father and protecting the city at the same time?
1. Chapter 1 The Beginning

**A.N. I'll be working on my other stories as well. Other chapters are already underway. I hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Batman of any kind.**

Never in a million years would Bruce Wayne have ever expected this to happen. Gordon of all people asking him to do this, asking him to take care of a kid, more specifically the kid that Batman had rescued a few days ago.

Batman had been going about his routine patrol in the Narrows of Gotham when he had heard a gunshot ring out in the night. Upon closer inspection, he saw the bleeding body of a woman splayed out on the ground and a man standing near her with a gun to his own head. Before Batman could get any closer, the man pulled the trigger. After alerting Gordon, he had heard some noises and when to investigate. In a rundown apartment building nearby, he had heard the noises even louder. And after knocking over the locked bathroom door, there was a little girl who couldn't have been more than four staring at him teary-eyed. He didn't know what to do then, he normally dealt with criminals, not children. So he alerted Gordon of the little girl and told him to take care of it. Gordon's only response was that he would try to find her a good home.

So here he was on the phone with the Commissioner of all people, asking him to take in the little girl Batman had rescued three days ago. How could the Commissioner have picked him of all people, the airhead playboy, though truth be known, he hadn't had much of a party life after Rachel died.

"Mr. Wayne, are you still there?" Gordon's voice brought him out of his thoughts.

Bruce finally managed to ask, "Am I to assume that it will be a more permanent stay?"

"Well, it would be better, yes Mr. Wayne," Gordon replied. It had been surprisingly hard to get in contact with Mr. Wayne, having spent most of yesterday calling around and wondering where on earth the girl could go. Gordon wasn't about to send her to grow up in a group home, but no one could take her, and his wife had already talked about not having enough room for their two kids. He had no idea what caused him to try Wayne of all people, and the butler hadn't been of much help, not knowing what Wayne's answer would be. But now he'd finally gotten a hold of him and he still have to guess.

There was another long pause in which he wondered how much danger he would be putting the little girl into, but it seemed like Gordon was counting on him more than he showed. Bruce spoke again, "Yes, I'll take her in."

"Well then, I can bring her over on Friday," the rest of the call was spent hashing out the smaller details.

What had Bruce gotten himself into?

**A.N. I hope you enjoyed the rather short start of this story. I'll have more up very soon!**


	2. Chapter 2 The Meeting

**A.N. I spent some time explaining the cat and how he came to be. I think it makes Bruce look different in Gordon's eyes, and perhaps assures him. And Loki is there partly for comic relief later on.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Batman or any of the character, with the exception of Loki and Jillian.**

It was now Friday, the day that they had agreed upon for the little girl Jillian arrival and Gordon was well, nervous for the meeting to take place. On the phone, Wayne had said that he would take care of her, but he never said that he would become her father, and there was his family telling little Jillian that she was getting a new daddy that would get her whatever her heart desired. Gordon didn't agree with that, but said nothing. Maybe if she perceived him as her new father then he would become it. There had been no mention of adoption papers in their previous conversation, but maybe he was getting ahead of himself.

Gordon's wife, Barbara, wasn't too happy that he took it upon himself to ask Bruce Wayne to take the little girl in. But she had at least acknowledged the fact that they could not take care of the child, and anything was better than an orphanage. Jim Gordon felt a little better now that they found a place for her, though still weary about where. To help with Jillian with the transition, he convinced his wife to go with them.

It was almost five when they packed little Jillian up and started down the road to the newly rebuilt Wayne Manor were they would meet Wayne at five thirty. Gordon didn't really know how it was going to happen, whether they were just going to going in long enough to bring Jillian in, or if they were going to be there for a little while, so Barbara had prepared food for the kids to eat later.

Meanwhile at Wayne Manor, Bruce was watching as Alfred went running around putting the last-minute touches on the little girl's room. In fact, that whole week had been nothing but preparing and child-proofing as much as possible. Bruce had let Alfred take control over it, the buying of safely made toys and nutritious snacks. Though, he thought Alfred went overboard a little, going so far as to buy a few child-size tea sets and dish ware as well as a room full of all sorts of clothes, costumes, and toys.

Bruce had left to get out of the way and was walking out among the gardens now. They hadn't planned what the land would look like after the manor was rebuilt, and this past spring with the crime rates relatively low, Bruce had begun to work on them. He had used newly planted trees to create pathways all around and laid some stone here and there. Where the old well used to be was now a small pond and he planted a few fruit-bearing trees. Overall, it still looked beautiful even though most was newly planted and would need to grow in.

Gordon pulled up the long drive and got out, Barbara and Jillian following behind. He recognized the butler as the very one who had picked up Bruce Wayne all those years ago at the police station after his parents had been murdered. Wayne had been silent then, not a tear was shed in front of him. He only had what the media said about him to go by and that hadn't looked promising when he first thought of Wayne, but after their conversation, it looked a little better. He could at least take care of a cat, which had decided to interrupt the end of the phone call. That part of the call had been less tense and he was rewarded with a purr, though he could hear Wayne trying to stop it.

The butler had answered the door, saying, "Ah, Commissioner, I see you are early. Right this way please," and led them into a sitting room before disappearing to get them all something to drink. They had arrived early and were now just sitting and waiting for Bruce Wayne to show up. Gordon had already lost track of time waiting when Alfred came back and delivered hot coffee and cocoa with freshly baked cookies, apologizing for the delay and that it wouldn't be much long now.

Gordon's mind wandered back to that night when Batman handed the little girl to him. Gordon had seen movement in the dark apartment and gone in first. Batman had been holding the teary-eyed little girl carefully in his kevlar-covered arms when Gordon snuck in, and he put her in Gordon's arms, telling him to take care of her. Gordon looked at the entrance of the apartment when he heard the footsteps of his men investigating and when he turned back, Batman had disappeared again. And so he lied to his men, saying that he had found the child, and because he was the commissioner, nobody cared that he brought her home for the time being.

A chilly breeze swept by and he knew that summer was coming to an end. Bruce looked up at the sky and saw the faint outline of clouds slowly rolling in. Since talking with Gordon, Alfred had been bursting with excitement, but Bruce wasn't so sure. Though he didn't know much about kids, he knew that a four year-old would need more immediate attention than an older kid around eight or twelve years of age. And that wasn't including the fact that she could be in danger because of his late-night crusades. As for the persona that most of the world sees, it would come almost as big of a shock as he's return from the dead.

Though the biggest uncertainty was that he didn't know what he felt about becoming a father. For most of his life he'd been raised by Alfred after his own parents were murdered. And Bruce had never really given the idea of marriage and raising a family much thought. He had no idea how to be a father.

Bruce made his way back to the manor thinking about how his life was about to change. Upon entering the kitchen he saw a relieved Alfred.

"Master Wayne, where have you been? I've been looking all over for you."

"Outside, why?" Bruce replied calmly.

"The Commissioner and his wife have already arrived with the girl and are awaiting your company," his Butler smiled. "She seems lovely, a bit shy though. Time for her to see who she'll be living with."

Bruce entered the room with all eyes on him and it was dead silent, until he was saved by a certain grey cat who had followed him in. The look on their faces was priceless as the fluffy cat began to rub up against his legs and he tried not to laugh. He gestured to the cat and casually said, "That's Loki, the annoying cat."

Bruce watched as Loki sauntered over to where Gordon and his wife sat and sniffed them before heading over to where the little girl sat.

Gordon had watched as Jillian saw the arrivals of Bruce Wayne and a grey cat that followed in behind. The little girl was surprised as the fluffy cat sniffed at her shoes dangling over the edge of the chair. Gordon was equally as surprised as Wayne casually commented, "I don't think Loki has ever actually been around children before."

Barbara spoke up while petting Loki who had moved back over to them, "How did you end up with this cat?"

Gordon remembered how curious his wife had been when he told of Wayne having a cat and listened to his reply, "Little Loki over here used to hang around outside Wayne Enterprises."

"So he was a stray?"

"Not for very long, according to his previous records, he was a stray for only a few months. He was not the only stray animal to hang around the building, and one day we trapped him." Gordon noticed the slightest amusement on Wayne's face as he noticed his wife's shocked expression before continuing, "I'm referring to the process of tempting stray animals, usually cats, into special cages and bringing them to a veterinary clinic to be fixed and examined for any illness or disease before being released back where you found them. It's a better solution, for the animals are free live they way they've known, and it makes it harder to spread disease, parasites and such around. It also allows for more control over the amount of feral animals."

Wayne thought for a moment before continuing, "And there are some times where in the process we find out that some haven't always been on the streets or are at least trained, and they are brought to temporary homes that get them back into living with humans and are later adopted. Other times they are brought back to their old families, or at least records are found, Loki was one of them. Some of the animals that can't be brought back into a house go to farms, protecting all the animals and such."

Bruce let that sink in and casually glanced around. Alfred was hovering in the entrance to the room, while the Gordons were pondering over what he just said. And there was Loki, soaking up the attention from Mrs. Gordon. As he sat down, he observed the little girl that would be living with them from now on. She was of course small, with shoulder-length curly hair the color of chocolate. Her eyes appeared to be blue and focused intently on the long-haired cat that deemed her uninteresting.

Minutes slipped by before Alfred realized that everyone had digested the situation and were lost on how to continue. Sensing this, Alfred stepped back into the room baring more coffee and cookies, breaking his rule on no sweets right before dinner.

Jim was brought out of his thoughts when Wayne stood up and said, "My, how time flies faster than a bird at times."

It was indeed getting late for the sun was on its way out of the sky. Even though it would be the weekend, Jim was still going to go in to work for at least a few hours tomorrow. It was time for them to go and let the other get acquainted with one another.

As they were driving down the private road, it had occurred to Jim Gordon that he had not once heard a sound come out of the little girl since he had first seen her. And then there was Wayne.

Wayne was not what the Gordons had expected when they first came to Wayne Manor. There had yet to be a sign of the arrogance they found among the other elite members of society, and while he was late, they had been early and could not tell the time. Wayne's detailed description of how he had come to have a cat living with him had certainly shocked the Gordons, especially Jim, because they had never heard of anyone from the elite class do anything to help others themselves. And here was the cat they called Loki soaking up the attention from all the people in the room, even going to rub up against the butler until he was petted. Loki certainly didn't look like he came off the streets of Gotham, more like a house cat in heaven. Only time would tell how it all worked out.

Back at Wayne Manor, Bruce was left alone with the little girl while Alfred had shown the Gordons the way out and fed the cat. Jillian was silently staring at him, watching his every movement. He wondered if she understood everything that was going on. She probably wouldn't remember this week when she was older anyways.

Bruce helped the little girl down out of the chair and led her to the kitchen. He noticed the curls of the little girl's chocolate brown hair bounce ever so slightly as she was trying to keep up with Bruce's big steps. He slowed down a bit to let her catch up, and they slowly made their way to the kitchen. He later noticed her deep green eyes as he helped her into a chair at the table. Alfred was back then, smiling the whole time while he dished out dinner. When he checked to see how Bruce was doing, all he got was a raised eyebrow. He had a feeling that Bruce wasn't going to give in so easily.

Dinner had been alright, there was hardly anything you could call conversation as Alfred was the only one talking. But the dinner itself was marvelous, even though it was made to be more "kid-friendly" than usual to try and not overload the little girl. After dinner, they showed her the way to her room, but decided against confusing her by showing her the whole mansion.

Jillian's new room was a pale blue with a four poster bed with sheer curtains and covered in pale rose bedding and pillows. On the floor was a soft pale green rug. There was a fancy white bureau next to the closet filled with dresses and costumes. And in one corner of the room was a small table and chair set with pretty teacups dusted with roses. All throughout the room were other toys and stuffed animals. Here and there were pale flowers, around the all the doors, windows and bed posters. Her face lit up when they told her that it was hers, and she ran over to the stuffed animals, clinging to a brown stuffed rabbit. She seemed content to play with the rabbit and there they left her while they talked outside the room.

"I think she'll enjoy it here, how about you?" Alfred said happily, its years since there were children or other people around.

"I think you'll enjoy the company," Bruce said holding back a smile.

Hours later, Bruce was heading back to his room after his nightly patrol when he heard a distant noise. Rounding the corner, he saw little Jillian clinging to the stuffed rabbit and crying. She was a long way from her room, and Bruce was wondering how she had gotten down this way. Still crying and clutching the rabbit, she started to move towards him when she noticed he was there. Bruce knelt down besides her, asking her what was wrong, but he got no reply, though she had calmed some.

After staying like that for a bit, Jillian had ceased crying and Bruce scooped her up, carrying her back to her room. There he sat down next to Jillian who was staring at him sleepy-eyed. And he stayed there until he was sure she was asleep and not wandering the halls again. Heading back to his room, Bruce wondered just what he had gotten himself into.

**A.N. Later on in the story, I'll be getting deeper into how Bruce isn't really a cat person, but he deals with it anyways. I hope you guys enjoyed it and I hope to have then next chapter up soon. Please read and review, thanks!**

**P.S. Thanks, alice chess, Extraho, Moonstar 11, and twilightRose9492 for reviewing. And thanks Pigking, Moonstar 11, .1194, twilightRose9492 and jessi girl18024 for adding me to your story alert. And for BlueEyesUnderTheFedora for adding it to your favorites!**


	3. Chapter 3 Glass of Milk

**A.N. I know it's a little late, but I've been busy, as always. It's almost filler before some more epic chapters, but you need this before that.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Batman, the comic book or the movies, DC comics and Christopher Nolan do. But I own the hell out of Loki and Jillian.**

It had been a few weeks and it was Friday again. The little girl seemed happy enough, though she still hadn't spoken a single word. The schedule she had developed was to wake up with Alfred early in the morning, eat breakfast, and then go play, though she often brought her toys out to play near Alfred. Then perhaps a mid-morning nap. She would be under Bruce's watch before he went to work to give Alfred a break. There would be more playing after lunch and perhaps a nap then if she hadn't already had one. Then wash-up before bed, sleep, and start all over again.

Both Bruce and Alfred had only caught her wandering a few times in the night, and she would simply fall asleep in their arms when they brought her back to her room. As the days passed, the wandering slowed.

It was just after five when Gordon's mind started to wander back to the little girl the Batman had entrusted to him. He had yet to get the chance to talk to the vigilante about it, or to get it out before the vigilante disappeared again. He didn't know what he was going to get as a response though, that Batman would call him out on bad judgment, or give him praise. If only he could tell him that one young life was better off now.

Gordon noted that none of the newspapers and tabloids had anything about the newest addition to the Wayne household; it was like he never made the phone call at all. Stephens interrupted him while he was flipping through the newspaper, "Still no word on the girl? You can't expect a big spectacle."

Gordon sighed, "It's been weeks and still nothing. Even the billionaire has evaded the media!"

Stephens replied, "Well, you said there was no talk of adoption then. Maybe he's just waiting for the situation to calm some? If it worries you that much, then call."

That rung in his head for a while. Stephens hadn't been a fan of the billionaire taking care of the child, but he had backed Gordon's decision anyways. Eventually he made the decision to call, and the Butler picked up on the second ring, "Hello, this is Wayne Manor, Alfred Pennyworth speaking."

"This is Commissioner Gordon."

"Ah, Commissioner, how are you?" the friendly British tone asked.

"Fine," Gordon paused "How—how is it going—"

Alfred cut him off, "Ah, you're inquiring about Jillian, she's been lovely, though I'd say a bit lonely. Master Wayne will be getting her set up at the preschool down the road from his office so she can interact with others her age."

The shadow of a smile appeared on Gordon's face, exposure to others of her age would be good for her. Alfred continued on, "Master Wayne is here, let me get him on the phone" and barely audible and not meant for him, "if I can find him."

Gordon could still hear noise as Alfred went through the manor searching. He could hear him talk to the cat and ask where they had disappeared too. Alfred grumbled a bit about knowing that they hadn't left.

Alfred was starting to get a little worried when he could not find either Bruce or little Jillian, when he happened to be passing a window and something caught his eye, a figure was slowing moving while a smaller one ran around in the autumn air. Gordon could hear the more relaxed tone in the butler's voice as he said, "They're out in the garden, would you still like me to get them, sir?"

"No, I don't think that will be necessary," Gordon replied, it sounded as if the billionaire was spending at least some time with the child. He felt slightly better now, knowing that things were going well and the child was settling down. Before he got off the phone, the Butler had said something about getting some papers.

Outside, little Jillian was bursting with energy. Bruce had remembered playing outside all the time as a kid and that it was healthy. He attributed part of his well grounding to being out in the fresh air and not stuck inside surrounded by fragile things. And so Bruce had decided that it was a nice day to bring her out in to the gardens and away from all the stuff for a while. Shortly after heading out, she began to run around, at one point she began chasing fallen leaves. Bruce sat down and just watching Jillian run around until her tried herself out and sat down in front of Bruce, staring at him contently.

They had lost track of time and Alfred met them at the door as the sun began its journey out of the sky. Alfred glanced at the two of them and questioned, "Grass stains now sir?"

"They're just jeans," Bruce replied. Alfred smiled to himself as he led them in, and was still smiling to himself as they had dinner.

Days passed and little Jillian was getting used to living at the Manor. It was Wednesday morning and Bruce was getting ready for work early, for today would be Jillian's first day at preschool, and her first time in the city since arriving at Wayne Manor. Both Bruce and Alfred had been trying to get her excited for it, telling her how much fun she'll be having, and all that she'll learn, but she was silent, though smiling, and though he understood everything they were saying.

Bruce dragged himself out of bed that morning earlier than he usually did to bring her. Jillian was already there when he got down, and she was contently eating her breakfast in a baby blue dress. Loki was lying in the doorway and Bruce almost tripped as he walked in. Soon after breakfast, Bruce got her in the car, planning to drive her himself, even though Alfred wanted to drive them both. The ride was silent, but pleasant as Jillian struggled in her seat trying to look out the window at the blurry scenery.

It wasn't very long before Bruce was walking Jillian up to the preschool and was greeted by a middle-aged woman with red hair named Carol. She was warm and welcoming, dragging over her niece to meet her. Bruce left Jillian in Carol's care, though not without reassuring Jillian that he would be back after work to pick her up.

Work itself was relatively uninteresting, a meeting where Bruce pretended not to pay attention, and Lucius unaware of Wayne Manor's newest resident, for Bruce had no idea how he would take it. It was after four when Bruce getting ready to leave when Lucius commented on how early he had come in, and Bruce dismissed it, saying, "Alfred said something about tending to responsibilities and making sure to feed them."

Lucius laughed, "Another cat?"

Bruce simply shook his head. Then Lucius gave Bruce a funny look and said, "Dog?"

Again Bruce simply shook his head to that and to the other guesses of fish, birds, hamsters, horses, and even a girlfriend. Then Lucius just stared at Bruce for a bit before asking, "_Did_ you get another pet?"

Bruce calmly replied, "I don't think the Department of Human Services would be too happy if I considered her that," and at the terribly confused look of Mr. Fox, Bruce's tone grew more serious as he said, "I was asked to take care of a child, a silent little girl."

After Fox had questioned Wayne endlessly, saying that he wanted to see her sometime soon, Bruce left to get Jillian. Carol had reassured him that Jillian had a good time there, and that she would speak when she had something to say.

More days passed and the girl was growing more active by the day. They were happy about that, though Bruce wasn't happy about Alfred inviting the Commissioner to check in on the girl at any time or day. If the Commissioner were to actually use the invitation, he could stumble upon Bruce Wayne's greatest secret. The "playboy billionaire" persona was there to make it unbelievable that Gotham's Prince was Gotham's Dark Knight, and Bruce didn't feel comfortable having the Knight's ally so close to the truth. He'd often wondered how it would be if Gordon were to know who Batman really was, but over and over he had come to the conclusion that it was not a good idea, and a secret he should bring to his grave. But Alfred, who had convinced Bruce to create the facade in the first place, thought that having Jim Gordon as an ally of Bruce Wayne was a good idea, after all, he was already an ally of Batman's. But getting closer to Gordon increased the risks, especially after what happened with Harvey Dent.

It was one of those times where Alfred left Jillian alone in Bruce's care he went and ran errands. It was nice and quiet, and Jillian had just woken from a nap when Bruce smiled at the little girl and said, "Dinner's not going to be until later, so let's get you something to snack on."

When they got to the kitchen, Bruce began looking around, mumbling, "Now what do you want?"

He never expected an answer, and almost missed the quiet "milk" she spoke. He turned around surprised and asked, "What did you say?"

And Jillian shyly said, "I want a glass of milk."

Bruce was still quite surprised as poured her a glass of milk. He continued to talk with her while she nibbled on her snack, always responding quietly with her voice, rough from lack of use.

Alfred found them later, on the floor and brushing Loki. Bruce had been showing Jillian how to pet and brush the cat gently, and was giggling from Loki licking her hand. Alfred smiled, until Jillian said excitedly, "The kitty likes me!"

Bruce had to stifle a laugh as Alfred turned to Bruce, shocked, "When did she...?"

"Out of nowhere just a few hours ago. She's been a chatter box since."

"What did she say?"

Bruce shrugged, "She wanted a glass of milk."

**A.N. I'm already working on the next chapter, should get very interesting…hehe…some of you will hate me. Thank you all for favoring my story and adding it to your alerts.**


	4. Chapter 4 Fireworks

**A.N. Ugh, as the saying goes, "the shit hit the fan" a little bit ago. I've been having some family issues that have been getting in the way of everything. But I'm happy to say that I got this chapter out. Woot! But you guys might not be so happy…**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything Batman and I never will, except for maybe a t-shirt or poster…Jillian and Loki are mine to do as I wish.**

It was the next day, and Gordon was thinking about accepting the Butler's earlier invitation. He had scrounged up some information on Jillian and her family; her parents had no living siblings and only a grandmother remained, residing in a nursing home with Alzheimer's disease. He also got some of the papers needed for Wayne to start the adoption process. He wondered whether Wayne would actually adopt the little girl or not. It was a slow day at the GPD and he decided to call before heading over. 

Before the doorbell rang and security systems announced the Commissioner's arrival, Alfred had unsuccessfully searched for Master Wayne. It had started to rain earlier, and he was positive that he was still somewhere on the property, though he did not have the time to check in the Bat Cave. There was still no sign of Bruce when he lead the Commissioner to a kitchen where little Jillian was enjoying some of Alfred's homemade chocolate chip cookies. As the Commissioner looked around the surprisingly cozy kitchen, he noticed that there was a distinct lack of another person, Wayne. 

Gordon looked at Alfred, who confessed, "I have no idea where he is," and added dryly, "it seems that I have misplaced him." 

Gordon went over the paper work with Alfred while Jillian settled down to play with Loki. She would roll a little ball with a bell in it towards Loki, who would then bat it around until it rolled back over to Jillian. And it would start again, each time Jillian clapping in delight. As they were finishing up, Loki abandoned Jillian's little game and disappeared into the hallway, loudly meowing the whole time. 

Bruce was in the hallway, trying to shush Loki up, for he had heard Alfred talking to someone in the other room, and didn't want to be caught soaking wet from the outside. When he heard someone coming, he took off his shoes and snuck up a hidden stairwell, one of many that had been added during the rebuilding to the manor's design. The stairwell was one of many that passed through all of the levels of the manor, including the one where his bedroom was located. Gordon had noticed the muddy prints first and was pretty sure that he knew where Bruce had been all this time when he pointed it out to Alfred, "I think someone is here." 

Alfred excused himself, muttering something about a certain someone always leaving a mess. Bruce had just finished pulling on a dry shirt when Alfred entered, silently questioning him as a drop of water slid down his forehead and onto his nose. 

While Alfred was with Bruce, Gordon directed his attention to Jillian, who had turned her attention to him. Alfred had mentioned that she starting talking, so Gordon decided to ask her how things where, "I see you're getting along with the cat." 

Jillian said happily, "The kitty licked me, and that means that he likes me." 

"I heard that you started preschool, are you enjoying it?" 

"It's fun and Miss Carol is teaching us how to read and paint with our fingers." 

Gordon smiled, "Are you liking it here?" 

"Yes, Alfred makes yummy cookies and ––" 

Alfred stepped back into the room and with mock hurt, said, "Only for the cookies?" 

The little girl started to giggle. It was then that Gordon noticed that Alfred came back with...no one. Apparently Mr. Wayne wasn't going to bless him with his presence. 

Alfred noticed the frown on the Commissioner's face and looked around, Bruce was missing again. With a sigh, Alfred left the room again in search of Bruce, and not giving Gordon a chance to excuse himself and leave. When he got to the kitchen, he saw Bruce sneaking Loki some treats.

Bruce followed Alfred and they were finally going over the paperwork, an hour later than as planned. It went by rather quickly after that, with Bruce casually commenting on how much paperwork Jillian seemed to bring. 

His wife Barbara didn't make a big deal out of it. She knew that Gotham rarely had any "happy endings," and so she let him talk on about his visit to Wayne Manor and how things were progressing. The silent girl they had left with Bruce Wayne was doing surprisingly well. She was speaking again, and interacting with other children her age. They had no idea how the parenting was going, but it seemed to be doing well.

Days melded into weeks, and soon two months had passed since the arrival of Jillian. Things were going well, Jillian had made some friends at the preschool, and seemed happy. The press caught on quick after she started preschool, and it was only a few days after that Bruce made the announcement: Jillian was going to be a member of the Wayne family. 

And that was all the press focused on for the next week. There must have been hundreds of snapshots taken of Bruce and Jillian together, whether he was dropping her or picking her up from preschool, or even the one time he got her ice cream. Jillian was a little shy around the media, staying close as close to Bruce as possible in those situations. Alfred encouraged the invasion of the outings though, saying that it allow him to "miss even more of the social gatherings that he hated" and would make Bruce Wayne look "like the least possible candidate for Batman." But Bruce thought it was like he was showing her off as a new haircut, and not a child. 

It didn't help that the adoption rate for Gotham's orphanage had increased and there were rumors that other elite citizens of Gotham were going to adopt as well. Apparently Bruce Wayne had made adoption the most fashionable thing. Jillian didn't care though, once the flashing cameras were gone, she was back to her talkative, happy self. 

Bruce had refrained from any social events, he had been bombarded enough with inquiries from the elite about the adoption and requests to schedule play dates between their children. The phone was constantly ringing with every talk show host and news reporter begging for a quick interview from the two. The Waynes they were called, even though the adoption process was not finished. 

Gordon didn't fare well either. Information was leaked out that Gordon had personally asked Wayne to take her in, and the press went so far as to that he got down on his knees and begged. The GPD was overloaded with demands for information about Jillian and requests for an interview. 

A second week passed with no end in sight of the crazy news. It's as if they didn't care about inflation or crime on the rise. Gordon had enough of it for sure. Reporters were hounding him day and night for a story, because it seemed that Wayne had not come out with one himself. He had no idea how to deal with it, even his wife and kids were harassed at work and at school. Soon the third week came and still no end in sight. 

Once again he found himself calling Wayne Manor, and again Alfred answered, "Wayne Manor, Alfred Pennyworth speaking." 

"This is Commissioner Gordon," 

"Ah, how are you doing Commissioner?" 

"I've been harassed by the media for weeks now." 

"I'm sorry to hear that. They don't give up, do they?" It sounded like the Wayne household was faring just the same. Gordon asked gently, "Has an interview or a press conference been set up?" 

"No, there has not." 

"Well, is one going to be set up?" 

"No." 

"Why not?" Gordon was getting impatient now. 

"There is no need for one." 

"Yes there is! My wife is bothered at work. My children are questioned at school. My entire department is constantly pestered. I think there needs to be one!" Gordon exclaimed, getting frustrated. 

"How about I put Master Wayne on the phone?" Then there was silence, the call was getting nowhere. If was a few minutes before a voice appeared on the other end, "Hello?" 

"The reporters have been harassing my––" 

Bruce cut him off, "Don't bother, they'll find something else soon enough, like the block party and fireworks this weekend." 

Gordon thought for a moment, he had completely forgotten that as the Commissioner, he was working on security for it. There was a little section in the paper talking about it. "Aren't you on the planning committee?" 

"Yes..." 

"About security, there's something––" 

Bruce cut him off again, "Whoa, I'm not in charge of that. You'll have to speak to Cindy Wells about that. We divided everything up among the committee members. I can answer questions about the entertainment like music or fireworks though." As much as Bruce would have preferred to be planning the security, it would have looked pretty suspicious if he or Lucius Fox had. Cindy Wells had jumped at the opportunity though, and seemed to know what she was doing. 

"Oh," Gordon remembering what he had called for, "About the press, what should I do?" 

"Just ignore it for now, and tomorrow the committee is going to be making an announcement. You'll soon be forgotten." And Bruce was right, the next morning a press conference was held and soon the media overflowed with news about the new event. 

It was Saturday, and the place had been hopping since nine that morning, and since Bruce had arrived with Alfred and Jillian in tow. It had started out as a night of fireworks in the late fall. But as the city council and Wayne Enterprises planned it, more businesses joined in and it soon grew. One member wondered what all those people would do while waiting for the fireworks, so they decided on having some live music. But then what if people were hungry? Some phone calls later, they teamed up with travelling vendors and local businesses to provide cheap food. 

While Alfred brought Jillian to the amusements for children, Bruce spent that time overlooking the entertainment, and arguing with one of the bands. The sun was starting to set when the Commissioner and his family and spotted Alfred with Jillian near one of the makeshift stages. But the billionaire was nowhere in sight. Gordon overheard what looked like one of the band members talking to the butler, "Sorry about that, Jet's being a drama queen again, always trying to mess with things." 

"It's alright Miss, I'm sure everything will be fine," Alfred responded, and was about to greet the Gordon when there was a short yelling match, followed by a hulk of a man and Bruce Wayne walking into sight. 

"Don't worry about Jet, he's just stressed out, we've never played for this big of a crowd before," the hulk said. 

"You guys will do fine," Bruce said, smiling reassuringly. The hulk had a shy smile as he said, "Really, you think so?" 

Bruce barely finished saying "Absolutely," before he was enveloped in a bone-crushing hug. Gordon could help but stare at the friendly gesture made by a man who could snap them all in half. Bruce however, merely laughed and said, "Okay big guy." He was even more surprised when Jillian excitedly ran into her adoptive father's arms. 

"Are you done yet?" Jillian asked sweetly. 

"For now, though I have to check in with the technicians before the fireworks can start." 

"Can I go?" 

"Absolutely not," the little girl's face fell, and in response, Bruce said, "It's too dangerous, especially when fireworks are nothing more than mini explosions in the sky." 

Barbara Gordon found herself rather curious. Here was a child who radiated happiness, but the last time she saw her, only sadness was in the air. Holding her was the least likely person to have fixed that. Bruce Wayne stood by, casually chatting to his butler, at least until he spotted an older man nearby and cried out, "Hey Lucius! How's it going?" 

Lucius Fox walked over, laughing at the image of Bruce with a child on his hip. When he got there he replied, "Just finished making the last adjustments to the set-up. How's it with the entertainment?" 

"Had a fight with one of the bands, but everything is all set. Just got to check in with the pyrotechnics and we'll be good to go," Bruce said while putting Jillian down. It was Lucius who pointed out Gordon and his family, calling out warmly, "Commissioner, how are you this fine evening?" 

Gordon smiled and replied, "Good," and looked at his family. His daughter Babs was arguing with her brother Jimmy about whether cotton candy was better than ice cream. 

Soon Lucius Fox had engaged all of the Gordon's in pleasant conversation and was trying to engage the others as well. The Butler left for a time to go explore on his own, though he soon returned with a Styrofoam cup of tea and a small bottle of chocolate milk for Jillian. Jillian spent most of the time hiding behind her father, occasionally smiling shyly at whoever looked. 

By the time they finished talking, the sun had completely disappeared from the sky. Bruce excused himself from the group to go check in with the technicians. 

Everything had checked out great and Bruce was on his way back to the group when the test firework sounded. He turned around and expected to see it go off in the sky, but instead of exploding color, there was a fiery cloud, and he immediately ran back from where he had just come. 

Meanwhile, Gordon looked up in alarm at the cloud. He saw the worried look on the Butler as he got a hold of Jillian, and Lucius followed him towards the fire. More fireworks exploded on the ground as they moved. But after a few minutes passed, the cloud disappeared and fireworks illuminated the sky. They slowed down a bit, but continued on their way to make sure everything was okay. 

The pyrotechnics and the firemen had gotten the fire under control and deemed the test firework as a dud, saying that moisture had gotten in. There was no real damage and for the sake of the people, they would continue with the show. Bruce waited until a few had safely gone off before once again making his way back towards Alfred and Jillian. He had planned to watch the fireworks with her, but now he was going to be late. Amidst the flashing lights and thundering booms of the fireworks, he didn't notice the figure nearby until it was too late. There was a strange ripping sensation, followed by pain, intense pain. 

He had fallen to the ground when it registered that he had been shot and there was no one to be seen. Up above, the fireworks neared their finale, and the pain subsided as he slipped into the nothingness.

**A.N. The chapters might not come as fast, I'm coming near the end of the school year and things are getting hectic. There have been a lot of family problems coming up and such that have been interfering with everything, not just my writing. So please, read and review and I'll get the next chapter up as soon as I can. Oh, by the way, please don't kill me!**


	5. Chapter 5 Two Views

**A.N. I am so terribly sorry that it has been over a year since I last updated! I could go on and on with excuse after excuse, but I'll just let you read the new chapter instead.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Batman, and that makes me sad.**

Gordon watched from a distance as the solemn butler guided the little girl into her father's room at the hospital. He remembered when he first stumbled upon the dying Bruce Wayne.

_While walking, he thought he had heard an all too familiar sound ring out: a gunshot. He tore away from Lucius Fox and raced towards the technicians, his own at the ready. As the finale of the fireworks lit the way, he saw a big bump on the path. As he got closer, he got a better look, and to his dismay, he saw that it was a person lying in blood. When he knelt down to check for a pulse, saw the face, and saw that it was the emotionless face of Bruce Wayne. Only twenty minutes ago he was playing with his adoptive child, and now he lay dying in a pool of his own lifeblood._

_There was a weak pulse, but it was fading fast. He stripped off his jacket and pressed it against the wound, but it was quickly absorbing blood and the pool was still growing. Lucius had appeared a few minutes later and took over while he called for reinforcements and medical help. Both had tried to awaken him, tried to speak to him. But there was no response. The minutes crawled by, more blood, a weaker pulse._

_As soon as the ambulance arrived and he was loaded up, they charged through the crowd of fear until they found the rest of the Gordons and the Butler holding the sleepy child. With the still fresh blood on both their hands and a frenzied look in their eyes, the others knew that something had happened when the child asked for her father and got no answer._

At the hospital, Bruce lay comatose for three days in the hospital, hooked up to an assortment of wires and tubes while guards were posted outside. Alfred had feared for the worst when he heard that his ward had been shot. After hearing that he was still alive (barely) and on the way to the hospital, he left immediately, for not all hope was lost. No one was permitted to see him for hours though, and by then, the sun was blinding as if mocking the night. There were mixed feelings about bringing Jillian to see her new daddy at death's door in the hospital.

How do you explain to a child that her father might not be there when she graduates or to walk her down the aisle when she gets married? Might not be there to teach her how to ride a bike. To tell her for the second time that her family is destroyed because of the city, because of Gotham? Alfred had none of these answers. Gordon did not either.

The entire time, Gordon kept seeing that dark alley years ago when he found the teary-eyed son of Thomas and Martha Wayne, clutching his father's coat. It kept replaying over in his mind, coming across the corpses resting in their own lifeblood and the trembling child. He felt that he had to make sure that it couldn't happen again.

Meanwhile, Lucius Fox wasn't faring any better, he was deeply worried about the new Wayne family. He visited once; he saw how Bruce Wayne's body lay lifeless still.

_He was still on his way to technicians when he heard a shot ring out, just barely heard over the now going fireworks display. He watched the Commissioner split away from him in mere seconds and he was filled with a bad feeling. Something was wrong and he felt Commissioner Gordon would find whatever it was._

_The Commissioner had found where the shot occurred, and Lucius felt ill as he approached. He was rather accustomed this sort of violence in Gotham, but to his horror he saw that it was his partner in business that had been shot. There was Bruce's head, turned slightly away from them, as if avoiding the cussing spilling from the Commissioner's mouth._

_He knelt down next to the Commissioner and put pressure on the wound while Gordon called for back-up and to have the area instantly combed for the shooter._

Bruce Wayne was changing; with the need for Batman down, he had more time to devote to something. The company was doing well enough with Bruce no longer using meetings as nap time.

He did not want Jillian to turn out like her new father.

**A.N. Short chapter? Well that is because I included the next one right away! I will have chapters six and seven up soon.**


	6. Chapter 6 On the Road to Recovery

**A. N. See? I told you guys I would release the next chapter soon. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Batman of any kind.**

Bruce's awakening was long and drawn out. He stirred a little and caught a glimpse of a white room. The second time, he saw a nurse turned away and checking a clipboard before slipping back into unconsciousness. The third and last time, he was met with the sun shining in his eyes and he squinted until his eyes could adjust. Sometime after (he could not tell the passage of time with all the medication in his system) a short, hairy man waddled over. A joyous smile appeared beneath his bushy beard when he saw his patient back in the world of the living, and he greeted him warmly, "Ah, Mr. Wayne, it's good to see you awake. You've got some impatient visitors and you can see them after a quick check. I'm Dr. Shaw by the way, and this is Janice, your nurse," gesturing to the big woman behind him.

They moved quickly and soon ushered in Alfred with an enthusiastic Jillian, who had to be restrained from jumping on the hospital bed. Bruce was still a little foggy during the visit, which was kept short so he could rest. Alfred didn't speak much, but it was easy to see how pleased he was that his ward had made it past the brink of death.

The first time Gordon had visited Bruce Wayne, he lay like a pale puppet, with the strings attached as the only things keeping him from falling six feet under. The next time was after one of Bruce's quick visits and he lay sleeping. The change was obvious the moment his eyes fell upon him, he was no longer a lifeless doll, but rather a pale person sleeping off heavy medication. The doctor waddled in the room and smiled at the Commissioner as he checked over the charts, nodding to himself occasionally.

"Had you been an hour earlier Commissioner, you could have talked to him," the doctor casually addressed Gordon.

Gordon replied, "It's just nice to see him alive."

The bearded doctor nodded, "That it is. Would have been a shame to see the child raised alone, she was very happy to see him you know, jumping for joy, poor butler had a hell of a time restraining her."

Gordon smiled, he could picture little Jillian doing that, and for her sake he was glad that Wayne had made it past the danger zone. The last time he had seen her, she had reverted back to being silent, as if the joy of her life had been sucked out and was left with the others. They continued to talk a little before Gordon left to spend some time with his family, something he'd been doing more of lately, ever since the shooting.

Almost two weeks had passed before he managed to visit again. Bruce Wayne was awake and deeply engrossed in a book when the nurse announced that he had a visitor.

"Hi...?" the billionaire stared at him with a mix of curiosity and surprise and Gordon realized that he'd been standing for quite some time and couldn't hide the embarrassment that redden his face, "Uh, how are you doing?"

"Good, considering the circumstances," Wayne replied, still giving him that weird stare.

"That's good," and then the conversation died and Gordon once again stood awkwardly in the room. The silence only broke when he noticed that Wayne was moving around. "You okay?"

Bruce looked at the worried Gordon and quickly reassured him that he was, his arm just fell asleep. The conversation from there was relatively pleasant, if a bit awkward at times. Gordon left an hour later in a better mood, though he was still troubled by the shooter. As Gordon left, he checked with the guards he had stationed there since Wayne's arrival and there was no suspicious activity. Days slipped by and Gordon dropped by a few times later.

Gordon came to visit again and Bruce no longer greeted him with a confused stare, and always had a new book or two in his hands. After a few times of seeing so many different ones, he finally had to ask, "How fast are you reading those?"

Bruce was relaxed as he answered, "Around one a day or so."

Gordon looked a little surprised at that, the billionaire was supposed to be more air-headed than what Gordon has seen. He found that Wayne was easily engaged in conversation if it involved certain subjects, like his cat or classic literature, even gotten him into a huge debate about the existent of aliens. He found that the young man had extensive knowledge in many areas and he found that he had learned things as well, such as the evil Count Dracula was also a werewolf.

Bruce was on the phone when Gordon came in and he gave the guards a break, though he found himself listening intently to Wayne's conversation.

"Hey, how's it going?...Nice to talk to you too...she's loving that story you suggested...yeah, I guess it was an excellent choice...How's Jack doing?...That's great, I'm sure everyone is doing much better...What? They enjoyed it so much that they want to return? Ha ha, very funny...Well, they needed it."

Bruce's tone was a little frustrated as he continued, "If you already planned on doing it anyways, than why did you bother asking?...You're at the airport already, aren't you...Lies! You're not coming just for the concert...yes, I realize that the holidays are around the corner...I already said I would...can't do New Years...I'm busy, got other plans...which one? The fun one of course...maybe...Don't maim him, it's not his fault...the cards can't predict everything...yes, the usual crap about the future constantly changing...okay, talk to you later, bye."

Bruce finally finished up on his cellphone and Gordon walked in a few minutes later after enjoying Bruce's interesting view of the conversation.

**A.N. Please read and review! I will try to make the chapters longer and put them out more frequently then I have been.**


	7. Chapter 7 The Interesting Couple

**A.N. See? I deliver a slightly longer chapter introducing who Bruce was on the phone with. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Batman movies, and I never will, ever. Or even a prop from the Batman movies...**

Right before one of Gordon's visits, Bruce got a surprise from his friends that he was the phone with a while ago. It was Theresa and her husband Jack and he hadn't seen them since Bruce visited after the Joker was imprisoned in Blackgate. He then had to play godfather to their five children when Jack had been seriously injured in an accident, and Theresa was struggling to keep it all together while trying to take care of their children and help her husband recover. Bruce had taken care of the children for a few weeks. Every free day was spent with their recovering father who had been in a bad plane crash in a small town.

They communicated more through phone calls and emails than in person because the parents travelled around constantly for their line of work, though recently they've been trying to limit it to just breaks in their kids' schooling. He doubted though that the kids would learn as much in school as they did when their parents home-schooled them out in the rain forests and deserts of the world. It had been hard on the kids at first, going back to what was considered more of a normal life than their own, though they did enjoy staying and hanging with friends.

Jack and Theresa had decided to bring their kids for a prolonged visit. It was a long and pleasant visit; with Theresa making it known that they were spending the holidays together and Bruce was elected to host the celebrations. In return, they entertained him with their latest explorations and adventures.

Gordon was surprised to hear voices getting closer to Bruce Wayne's hospital room. He knocked on the door and an unfamiliar man's voice welcomed him. For only a brief moment he wondered if Wayne had been moved without his knowing, but when he opened the door he saw Wayne sitting up brightly in bed.

Wayne was more enthused and quickly introduced him to his other visitors. "Commissioner, meet Jack and Theresa Picard. Jack and Theresa, meet Gotham City's Commissioner."

Wayne said it as if he was a hero and he felt his face heating up. Jack stood up and warmly shook his hand, "So you're the one who's been taking good care of Bruce here."

Bruce spoke up, "Oh ho, I can take care of myself thank you very much!"

Gordon felt himself relaxing a little as he said, "I have not needed to take care of Mr. Wayne. He seems to be doing a good job of taking care of himself and his little girl Jillian."

Theresa laughed and said, "Yes, I have heard so much about her. It was interesting to hear how she came to be Bruce's."

Bruce looked to Theresa and inquired "Where are you going with this?"

"Well, haven't you wondered why you?" Theresa responded. Bruce slowly said, "Well yeah, but I decided to not look too deep into it."

Then all eyes turned to Jim Gordon as he said, "Well, after the unfortunate death of her mother, she was entrusted to me to find her a good home."

Bruce said, "That's all great and everything, but why me?"

It took Gordon a bit to come up with an answer. "Well, you dropped out of the news a few years ago and from what the media said, got more involved in the company. It seemed like you had gotten your act together."

Bruce nodded, though he sensed Gordon wasn't telling it all. However, he let it go and eyed the Picard couple to do the same.

Gordon decided to change the subject, "I'll admit, you don't look like you are from around here."

Theresa laughed, "We're only here to see the Wayne household. I mean wow Bruce, you actually have a household. There are you, Alfred, and Jillian!"

"You're missing someone dear," Jack reminded his wife.

"Oh, and yes Loki is included," Theresa said and laughed again, "How could I forget him? He's always starving for attention."

"He likes most people; wait, no he doesn't. He stays away from the parties though, I think caterers sneak him food in the kitchen," Bruce pondered. Jim had a feeling that wasn't the reason, but didn't mention it.

There was a lull in deep conversation for a while, and Gordon's curiosity got the better of him, "How did you meet?"

"To whom are you referring to? To me and my wife, or to us and Bruce?" Jack questioned.

"How they met and married is quite an interesting story," Bruce said, hoping for the first. However, Jim Gordon had the latter in mind, "How does a Wayne meet two Picards?"

"Well, there are two stories for that haha! I first met him long ago when he was on his way to becoming an adult," Jack claimed. But Bruce corrected him, "I was already nineteen then."

Jack dismissed that easily, "Does not really matter, I first met you over a decade ago. This was back when it was cool for everyone to just run off and gallivant across Europe."

Bruce Wayne rolled his eyes but said nothing. Jack Picard carried on, "It was a brief but notable meeting in Prague. He was acting as a sort of translator at a small shop."

"Poor guy just wanted some pants," Bruce said. "It is confusing to translate between three languages and things were getting so jumbled."

"If I remember correctly, you were doing a decent job; the shopkeeper was just getting frustrated at the poor tourist and making it difficult. I saved the day though," Jack Picard said. His wife Theresa laughed, "Of course you saved the day."

"Are you making fun of me?" Jack pretended to be taken back and Theresa smiled and said, "No honey, I think you are exaggerating a little. I think I will be the one to tell the story of how we all met again a few years ago."

Theresa started, "When Jack and Bruce had first met, there was much in-depth conversation, but their paths would not cross again until one spring a few years ago. I forget where we were at the time, maybe an airport, and our twin boys ran off on us. Bruce was the one to find them."

Bruce added to the story, "I found one, then the other at different times. They refused to speak to security and staff about finding you guys, so I had to help. Not easy when two identical boys are telling you two different things. Anyways, the important thing was that they found you, their parents, again."

"I recognized him instantly from that shop all those years ago. It was clearly no mere coincidence. So we brought him to dinner," Jack said brightly. Bruce rolled his eyes, "More like dragged me there, I did not go willingly."

While the Picard couple kept Gordon engaged in conversation, Bruce thought back to that year. That spring had been right after Harvey Dent and Rachel Dawes's deaths. The Joker's trial sent him to Blackgate instead of Arkham Asylum, and was put under special security. The manor was on its way to completion and he had taken time off from being Batman to recover from his multiple injuries. Business for Wayne Enterprises was booming, they had revived the science and medical divisions and were thriving. However, Bruce was not doing well himself. Even though his wounds were healing better than expected, he was shaken up from the mess and found himself going to the elite parties and acting out in typical "Bruce Wayne" fashion. He could not have saved his love, nor could he save the man he thought would lead Gotham out of the darkness.

When he first came across the Picard family, it was on a business trip and he had just arrived by plane. Lucius Fox had been after him for a while to take some time off and he had finally given in, spending more time there than he felt necessary. He had been rather distracted when he first arrived, trying to figure out what to do with all that spare time. He did not actually recognize Jack Picard right away, and it took prompting from Jack to make him remember. Even when he did remember, he did not see the significance. After all, people meet the same people all the time, they just don't know it. Jack had been rather aggressive in getting Bruce to join them for dinner that night, and Bruce wondered if the family had recognized who he was.

In the end, he had a good time and the Picard kids instantly latched on to him. The Picards also dragged him out a few times that trip, and kept in touch consistently ever since. After a while, Bruce returned their eagerness and visited a few times.

Bruce was pulled out of his thoughts as Jack said, "Didn't I teach Theresa how to fly, Bruce?"

"No, not really," Bruce responded.

"What about the flying lessons?"

"Those were not flying lessons, those were emergencies dear," Theresa said sweetly. Gordon's curiosity perked up, the Picards were quite interesting.

"Oh, are you talking about the Bermuda Triangle incident?" Bruce said, encouraging the Picards to tell another story.

It was after visitors hours had ended when the Picards left, and Gordon escorted them out. As Jack was leaving the hospital, he turned to the Commissioner and said "Bruce is no mere socialite; he is an adventurer like us. His adventures may not be of the same caliber, but they are adventures. He really is a good guy, so please take care of him."

Gordon returned to Bruce's hospital room, allowed to stay as late as he needed because he was the Commissioner of the city protecting a citizen, and he was familiar with the head nurse on duty. "They are quite the interesting couple, a lot of stories with them."

"From what I know, most stories are true," Bruce replied.

"How do you know?"

"You remember the story about their trip to the Bermuda Triangle? That really happened, and I had to pick them up from there. That ship was obliterated worse than they said." It was Gordon's surprised face that prompted Bruce to say, "A lot of their big adventures were from years ago, and they have allowed their lives to calm some so they could raise a family. Things are still wild for them, but instead of a near death experience in an infamous sea of destruction, it's how their kids confused salt for sugar, and their special breakfast in bed almost keep them in bed for days."

"They live quite the exciting life then."

"Some people naturally attract it, others go looking for it. I think it's probably a combination of both."

"They are crazy," Gordon remarked.

"Yes, but they are good people," Bruce said smiling, and soon wished the Commissioner a good night.

**A.N. I hope you guys enjoyed! The reviews were wonderful, and I thank all of you who take the time to read and review. **


	8. Chapter 8 Back at the Manor

**A.N.: So, who knew I would be taking a class that requires between ten and fifteen hours a week for just it? I sure as hell didn't. But I haven't forgotten about the story, and hope to be working on my other ones as well. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Batman of any kind, but Jillian and the Picard family are mine.**

It was Bruce's fourth week in the hospital when the media attention started to get to be too much for the hospital staff. The first week, news reporters were outside filming about the tragedy of Bruce Wayne's near death experience. They had ambushed Alfred bringing Julian into the hospital a few times before Gordon had increased security surrounding the hospital, though the head staff added security of their own. The head nurse had explained it to the Commissioner at one point, that the Wayne family had always been very generous to all the hospitals, and no patient would be able to rest while being constantly harassed.

By the second week, news reporters had stopped trying to film, whether it was lawsuits being threatened, or if they had found easier news. But the journalists for tabloids and newspapers still persisted. A few of them were arrested for impersonating staff. The journalists were still trying to get to Bruce Wayne and the butler when his doctor came to see him.

Dr. Shaw greeted him, "Good afternoon Mr. Wayne, it seems your healing is going along nicely," he took a long pause before continuing on, "how do you think you are doing?"

"Well, the pain has lessened greatly, and I can walk around one my own again," Bruce replied.

The doctor nodded, "That's good, very good indeed. The other cardiologists and I have discussed your recovery and have decided that though you still have a long way to go, it would be best for you to continue your recovery back home in peace and quiet."

Bruce slowly nodded, it was only last night that a member of the paparazzi had snuck into the hospital dressed as a night nurse and made it to his floor. One of the guards that Gordon had stationed there caught the disguised reporter, and promptly alerted the Commissioner himself. Gordon of course fined and arrested the reporter.

The doctor added, "You will of course need to come in at least once a weekend to check in, and we can send a visiting nurse down to help as well."

Bruce agreed with Dr. Shaw, and it would be great to be back in Wayne Manor again. He would leave the hospital at the end of the week.

Alfred, however, was not as pleased with the doctors' decision. With Mr. Wayne back at the Manor, he would focus on trying to identify the almost assassin. He had managed to keep Bruce out of it for the duration of his hospital stay, by not providing him the tools and encouraging Lucius Fox do the same.

Gordon had not had much luck with the case of the almost assassin; there was no trace left at the scene of the crime and the only evidence so far was the bullet the doctors had saved for them. It had been almost a month and no leads; the trail was going cold and Gordon didn't like that one bit. It meant that they were getting closer to the next time there was an attempt on Bruce Wayne's life.

It was early Friday morning when Bruce Wayne was released from the hospital. He had already changed and was finishing the paperwork when Jim Gordon arrived at on his floor. Jim smiled to himself as his gaze fell upon the casually dress Bruce Wayne with a Jillian literally clinging to Wayne's leg.

Jillian greeted him first with an excited squeal, "Daddy's coming home today! Daddy's coming home today!" and squeezed his leg tighter. Bruce looked up from the paperwork, "Commissioner, don't you know I'm leaving today?"

"Dr. Shaw asked for you to be escorted back home safely, and I decided I would do it myself," Jim Gordon said as Alfred Pennyworth was back on the floor from bringing things to the car. The butler responded "Are you sure? I doubt it will be the day you think it is."

The Commissioner was surprised to hear the butler say that, but he figured it was English butler showing his happiness at Wayne being fine. He could not understand how the tabloids could write articles about Alfred Pennyworth hiring the assassin to try to kill Bruce Wayne and take the money.

Bruce had finished all the paperwork and was ready to leave the hospital, which was decorated with fresh picked roses. Gordon followed them back to the manor in his car, interested to see what new security measures were put in place. As it turns out, nothing to the naked eye. The butler had tried explaining to the Commissioner that he should spend less time worrying about the Manor being attacked and more time about keeping Mr. Wayne from harming himself.

Loki was waiting at the door, and the first thing Loki did when Bruce set foot in the manor was to meow loudly at him. It wasn't hostile; it was giving him hell for being gone so long. A few minutes later and Loki was purring away in Bruce's arms, happy for him to be back. Gordon could have sworn that he heard Wayne mutter "I've missed you too."

"I am sorry for the condition the house is in Master Wayne," Alfred said as he lead them through the Manor.

"It looks fine," Bruce replied reassuringly, Loki in arms and Jillian at his side. He did notice that things were a bit dustier than they were since he was home, but he wasn't going to tell Alfred. _Home_, that was a word he hadn't used to describe Wayne Manor with in a very long time.

Gordon stayed around to talk about security and taking it slow, made Bruce promise not to go to any of the socialite parties. Alfred had invited him to lunch, in which Jillian hoped was "smac and sneeze."

Alfred went to fetch them for lunch and saw Loki curled up in Bruce's lap. "As you can see Alfred, I can't leave. I guess you will just have to serve it here instead."

The butler only had to give him a look and Bruce got up, cat in arms. Alfred found it a little funny because Bruce was never a fan of cats, especially since Catwoman.

"You're going to have to let me out of the manor at some point Alfred, or I'll start to redecorate," Gordon had to look at Bruce at then. Alfred had started to say that it was for the best, and Bruce announced, "I think it is time for a little redecorating and the library is the first one up."

"Master Wayne, I see no reason why the library needs to be redone," Alfred tried to reason.

"It's hard to find things," Bruce said smirking, he already had ideas for what it could look like.

Ever since he was released from the hospital, Bruce was ready to go back to day job and his night job. But Lucius and Alfred had ganged up on him, saying that since someone was trying to kill the billionaire and not the vigilante, so he should be more careful. They even went so far as to try and lock him out. Alfred had locked up the bat cave and hide all the keys to his cars, and Lucius kept him out of the office. So a week after being released, it was no wonder that he was driving everyone crazy. He was not used to having all this free-time on his hands and having nothing to do with it all. It wasn't so bad at the hospital because he couldn't go anywhere and had no temptations. But he could get to the bat cave from the manor in various ways, and was surrounded by things that everyone considered 'dangerous.'

He was pretty much alone at the manor for a good part of every day, for Jillian had gone back to daycare and Alfred went back to taking care of his neglected duties and errands. He'd take time to go over paperwork that Lucius sent over, but that didn't last him long, even with spreading it out.

It was a rainy week that kept Bruce inside the Manor, and it didn't matter how many rooms there were, he was bored out of his mind. He'd read some more books, but the hospital had tired him from reading and he wasn't used to watching television for anything other than the news. There wasn't much he could for the reconstruction of the library, except help cover or put away books. He couldn't remember the last he'd ever had nothing to do. After hours of bouncing around from different activities, he finally resorted to watching the Discovery channel and was still bored.

Alfred had left to go run errands and pick Jillian up from daycare, to find Bruce fast asleep on the couch with Loki curled next to him. Loki perked up when Alfred approached and he smiled, glad to see his ward taking a break. Alfred was busy making dinner when Bruce awoke to Jillian playing with her stuffed rabbit. He made room on the couch and helped her up while she enthused about her day. The Butler was lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the bonding and waited until later to announce dinner.

Later that night, Bruce went to tuck Jillian into bed, but she started to panic as he left and followed him out of the room. He brought her back and tucked her back into bed, asking what was wrong. "You're my daddy and I don't want to lose you again."

"Aw sweetie, you're not going to lose me."

"But you were trapped inside the hospital," Jillian wrapped her arms around her father's neck.

"I'm not going anywhere, I'm going to stay right here," Bruce smiled at his little girl.

"You promise?" Jillian looked up at him with eyes wide.

"I promise, now you should get some sleep," Bruce said as he got her tucked in for the final time.

**A.N.: As I said above, I hope to get more done for all my stories. Please read and review!**


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